


Driving Lesson

by Bonnie131313



Series: Photographs and Memories Universe [4]
Category: Bones (TV), Dark City (1998), Eleventh Hour (US TV), Iron Man (Movies), NCIS, Numb3rs, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 07:14:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5996467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bonnie131313/pseuds/Bonnie131313
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Really, Tony, I already know how to drive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Driving Lesson

“You’re going to be sixteen soon, aren’t you?”

Daniel looks up from his cereal in surprise. He could have sworn the voice was Tony’s but the other boy never talked at breakfast. Tony Stark was not a morning person. The only coherent thing that anyone had ever heard him say before ten am had been limited to the single word “coffee.”

To his amazement, Tony looks surprisingly alert if somewhat tired given the hour. Daniel smiles brightly at his friend who winces slightly at the sight of that much cheer at the crack of dawn.

“I’ll be sixteen in December.” Daniel tell him. He idly wonders why Tony would care about his birthday. It wasn’t like they would all still be here when winter rolled around.

The oddity of having Tony converse coherently has caught everyone else’s attention. They are all listening and watching the exchange with various degrees of interest. It strikes several of them as rather suspicious to have Tony awake and alert so early in the day. The last time that had happened Tony had been up all night and the microwave still occasionally shot out showers of electric sparks.

“So, I’ll bet you’re looking forward to learning how to drive?” Tony asks with studied nonchalance. Meredith and Abby would both later claim they heard ominous organ music at that moment. Daniel apparently does not.

“I already know how to drive.” He tells Tony carelessly. “My Uncle Dwayne taught me on his tractor when I was ten.”

Tony does not appear impressed with this claim. For some reason he can’t equate a John Deere with a Lamborghini.

“And my Grandpa sometimes lets me drive around the farm in his old pickup.” Daniel continues blithely. He rather enjoyed bumping around the rutted dirt roads. It had been a special treat ever since he’d finally gotten tall enough to work the pedals and see over the dashboard.

“Really? That must really be different from driving in the city.” Tony muses aloud. Larry is looking like he really wants to change the subject but before he could start a discourse on String Theory Daniel shrugs.

“We don’t have a car.” He tells Tony. “Mama says it’s not worth it in Manhattan. It would cost more for a parking space in our building then it does for our whole apartment.”

“Your parents never drive.” Tony looks aghast. He loves to drive. He’d been the first person in line at the DMV on the morning of his sixteenth birthday. It had been the one and only time he had ever willing gotten out of bed before 9 a.m. in his life. 

“They’ll rent a car if they need one.” Daniel explains. Neither of his parents seemed to care too much one way or another about driving. “Mostly it’s easier to take the subway or call a taxi.”

“So I guess you won’t have very many chance to practice driving?” Tony grins ominously. By now even Jacob has figured out that Tony is up to something, everyone but Daniel. Oblivious to his doom the small blond nods indifferently.

“I guess not.” Daniel is in no particular hurry to acquire a driver’s license. Except for occasional visits to his relatives in the midwest, he’s never lived anywhere that required a car to get around.

 

 

“But I already know how to drive.”

Daniel cannot not figure out why Tony doesn’t seem to believe him when he says this. While chugging around the fields on a tractor is not exactly the same as driving a car down a city street, the principal is the same. Besides Grandpa Poe’s old pickup counted as a real car even it was mostly held together with bailing wire, duct tape and some machine screws Grandpa had salvaged from an old lawnmower.

“I promise you Danny, driving this beauty is going to be nothing like driving your grandfather’s truck.” Tony drags his young friend over to the gleaming red sports car. “Isn’t it beautiful? It’s a prototype. My dad’s thinking of investing in the company.”

“I don’t even have a learner’s permit.” Daniel protests faintly.

He’d never had to worry about wrecking his grandpa’s truck. Even if it hadn’t been twenty years old already, it had never been the same after that time Grandpa had to take the goat to the Vets. This car is brand new and looks awfully expensive.

“My parents will kill me if I get arrested for driving without a license.” He tells Tony.

“We’re just going to stay in the parking lot.” Tony assures him. “It’s private property and I cleared it with the camp. It’ll be fine.” Luckily Daniel is as much a favorite with the staff as he is with his fellow campers. As soon as Tony explained he wanted to teach Daniel how to drive, they had become incredibly helpful.

The rest of their group stands around and tries to decide if they should intervene or not. On one hand Daniel does look more than a bit nervous and they are all slightly exasperated by Tony’s manipulations but on the other hand the car does look really cool. Plus, the parking lot ought to be safe enough; it was the furthest out from the main part of the camp so there are no other cars nearby. Besides, by training and by inclination they are all scientists, and a good scientist always wants to see what will happen next.

“Just a couple of times around the lot,” Tony promises manhandling Daniel into the driver’s seat. “It’ll be fun.”

With a put upon sigh, Daniel stops fighting and buckles himself in. Tony hurries around and settles himself in the passenger seat. He spend a few minutes pointing out the various features to the smaller boy. Daniel reluctantly starts the car and starts it moving around the parameter of the lot.

“I guess he can drive.” Brennan remarks after a moment’s observation.

“Hmm,” Larry agrees. “Although he does seem to have confused the parking lot with the Bonneville Salt Flats.’

“I wouldn’t have thought you could drive a tractor like that.” Jacob muses thoughtfully.

“You’d think that Daniel would have mentioned that he was related to the Dukes of Hazard.” Abby complains cheerfully.

“The engineering and design of that car is excellent.” Meredith sounds mildly impressed. “My parent’s car would have tipped over trying to corner like that.”

“It’s got good brakes too.” Jacob agrees as the car screeches to a sudden stop.

“Did you see me driving?” Daniel asks excitedly as he climbs out of the car. Tony appears to be hyperventilating in the passenger seat.

“Daniel,” Jacob happily greets his young friend. “You never told us that your grandfather was Dale Earnhardt.”

“Perhaps Tony’s idea of you practicing a bit before you try for a license is a good idea.” Larry scolds mildly. He can’t stop grinning from ear to ear. “I’m fairly sure some of those maneuvers are not acceptable city driving.”

“You’ve obviously never taken a taxi from LaGuardia.” Daniel tells him impishly.

“Who cares about traffic laws,” Meredith goes to open Tony’s door. “I’m pretty sure you broke a couple of the laws of physics.”

“Did your uncle or your grandfather teach you how to spin out like that?” Brennan is helping Meredith extract Tony from the car.

“No, my grandma did.” Daniel tells them. “She used to drive in demolition derbies until her bursitis got so bad.”

“Oh wow, your grandmother is like Pinky Tuscadero?” Abby looks impressed. Daniel just looks confused. Pop culture is not exactly his forte.

“I don’t believe it.” Tony finally manages to shake off his shock enough to talk. He stares at the smaller boy with wild eyes.

Daniel smiles his sweetest most innocently angelic smile up at his older friend.

“I told you I knew how to drive.”


End file.
